Tag: Cantonese

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Thank You to Our Volunteers at the October 2nd Pro Bono Clinic in Flushing, Queens!

On Wednesday, October 2nd, AABANY members had the opportunity to volunteer at the AABANY Queens Pro Bono Clinic hosted by the Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) Community Center in Flushing. The clinic brought together AABANY’s Pro Bono & Community Service (PBCS) Committee along with a team of dedicated volunteers to offer free legal consultations to community members facing pressing legal challenges. The volunteers met with 19 clients addressing a variety of issues including housing, divorce, and immigration law. These are the kinds of problems that weigh heavily on people’s lives, both financially and emotionally.

The clinic had a vibrant atmosphere of support and collaboration. Each client was paired with an attorney who took the time to provide thoughtful advice on their specific legal concerns. Shadowers observed the attorneys, eagerly taking notes and learning from real-world interactions. Interpreters fluent in Cantonese or Mandarin were also on hand, ensuring that language barriers didn’t hinder effective communication between clients and their attorneys. This collaborative effort made the clinic a true reflection of community engagement and empowerment.

These interactions went far beyond simple legal advice. Each conversation was a reminder that this clinic isn’t just about solving legal matters—it’s about giving people the power to reclaim control over situations that often feel overwhelming. For many clients, it was the first time they realized they weren’t alone, and that there were resources and options available. A consultation could shift the entire course of someone’s life, offering not just answers, but hope.

Clients expressed their gratitude with comments like, “Thank you very much to the clinic and lawyer Gary Yeung for their help,” and “I appreciate your effort.” These heartfelt messages show the impact of the clinic and the commitment of everyone involved in making it a success.

Thank you again to the following volunteers:

Volunteer attorneys

  • Beatrice Leong
  • Gary Yeung
  • Lina Lee
  • May Wong
  • Richard In
  • Shirley Luong

Interpreters & Shadowers

  • Jaymark Hawlader
  • Xuxia Zhao
  • Eugene Seong

If you’re interested in making a difference in the community through future Pro Bono clinics, we invite you to join us at the following upcoming events: 

November 9, 2024 [Brooklyn link here], from 12:00 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232

December 4, 2024, from 6:00 – 8:30pm, One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355

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Thank You to Our Volunteers at the June Pro Bono Clinics!

Thank you AABANY, PBCS, AAFE, and our volunteers who helped out at the June 5th (Queens) and June 19th (Manhattan) pro bono legal clinics!

At the Queens clinic, our volunteers met with 20 clients and discussed issues involving housing, immigration, criminal, and consumer debt matters.  At the Manhattan clinic, our volunteers met with 10 clients and discussed issues involving housing, immigration, and personal injury claims. Volunteer attorneys and interpreters patiently addressed client concerns, answered questions and connected them to lawyers through AABANY’s Legal Referral and Information Service (LRIS). 

Thank you to all our volunteers for dedicating your valuable time to our pro bono clinics, especially during the Juneteenth holiday.  Your compassion and dedication are deeply valued and truly make a positive impact on the community we serve.  By offering services in both Mandarin and Cantonese, we aim to continue to provide support for those who may face linguistic or cultural barriers when seeking access to legal services. 

Please join us in our upcoming clinics:

July 13, 2024 [Brooklyn link here], from 12:00 – 3:30pm, CPC Brooklyn Community Services, 4101 8th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11232

July 17, 2024 [Manhattan link here], from 6:00 – 8:30pm, AAFE Community Center, 111 Norfolk Street, NY, NY 10002

August 7, 2024 [Queens link here], from 6:00 – 8:30pm, One Flushing Community Center, 133-29 41st Ave, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11355

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Thank You to Our Dec. 3 Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic Volunteers!

On December 3, 2022, AABANY’s Pro Bono & Community Service (PBCS) Committee partnered with the VNS Health staff to hold a pro bono clinic in VNS Health’s Manhattan community center from 12:00 PM to 3:30 PM.

Overall, we met with 11 clients who had questions about topics such as immigration, housing, and divorce. With help from our many clinic attorneys and volunteers, AABANY’s PBCS attorneys were able to connect clients with AABANY’s Legal Referral and Information Service, a program that connects prospective clients from the Asian American and Pacific Islander community with qualified lawyers who are both linguistically and culturally competent.

AABANY’s PBCS intern Connor Li spoke about his experiences at Saturday’s clinic with great reverence for the work PBCS is able to do through these clinics. He said, “It’s always a pleasure to help out at the clinic. Whether it’s meeting members of the community or listening to experienced legal professionals, I always feel like I’m learning something at every point. And with the help of the amazing VNS staff, clients with urgent needs for legal advice regarding housing, immigration, and familial issues were checked in and assigned to attorneys with great expediency. We were even able to provide Cantonese and Mandarin interpreters at nearly every client meeting, though we could definitely have used the assistance of more Cantonese interpreters. I would definitely encourage more AABANY members or willing individuals from the general public who know Cantonese to come to these clinics. Your help would be appreciated!”

As with every clinic, free lunch was provided for all attorney and non-attorney volunteers by PBCS. We thank all 11 of our volunteers for coming to provide their invaluable assistance! As always, if you have any questions about upcoming clinics, please contact us at [email protected]. Thanks again for attending, and happy holidays!

Volunteer AttorneysInterpreters & Observers
Beatrice LeongAlexander Hwang
Francis ChinConnor Li
Grace PyunXiaoli Qin
Jackson ChinYuichi Hayashi
Jayashree MitraYuting Xie
May Wong 

Please make plans to join us as a volunteer at the next Manhattan Pro Bono Clinic on January 14, or please help us spread the word. More details here.

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AABANY Holds its First “Restaurant Series” Event

On Friday, March 18, AABANY held its first gathering in their Restaurant Series, where AABANY members and friends gather together at Asian-owned eateries to network and support the community. 

14 People came to Hop Lee, a Chinatown institution. The attendees had a traditional 8 Course Cantonese dinner. After dinner, some members went to Chinatown Ice Cream Factory for dessert. (Fun fact: Chinatown Ice Cream Factory is owned by an AABANY member, Christina Seid, who is a 1L Law student at Touro.) 

Please review our weekly announcements for upcoming restaurant dates, where AABANY will be traveling all over NYC and trying out different cuisines for businesses that were affected by COVID.

Next in the series is a visit to Nowon in the East Village on March 31. For details, see https://www.aabany.org/events/event_details.asp?legacy=1&id=1624192.

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Pro Bono & Community Service Committee Hosts Elder Law Clinic and Presentation

On May 4, AABANY’s Pro Bono & Community Service Committee (PBCS) hosted a virtual law clinic and presentation on elder law as a part of the Virtual Community Presentation Series. The event was co-sponsored by AABANY, the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA), and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of New York.

In light of the instability brought about by the pandemic, the new changes to the Medicaid laws, and the surge in anti-Asian violence, Committee Vice-Chair May Wong moderated the event to address the questions and concerns of the Chinese community, as well as to provide free legal consultations on these topics. May was joined by Karen Eng, specializing in estate planning, administration, elder law, Article 81 guardianship, and residential real estate at Thomas J. Manzi, P.C., and Pauline Yeung-Ha, Partner at Grimaldi & Yeung, LLP specializing in trusts, wills and estates, elder law, and special needs planning. Also present were Co-Chairs Judy Lee, Karen Lin, and Kwok Ng.

Karen Eng presented information on advance directives, wills, and trusts, while Pauline spoke on the new Medicaid changes and the effects the changes would have on individual healthcare. Both Karen Eng and Pauline emphasized the importance of advance preparation in matters of healthcare and estate planning. Kwok translated the speakers consecutively into Cantonese and Mandarin and also presented information on hate crimes and resources for reporting incidents. 31 individuals attended the event. At the presentation’s end, PBCS, along with Karen Eng and Pauline, opened the virtual free services clinic for two client consultations. The CCBA provided their physical headquarters for the two clients to meet remotely with the attorneys.

The PCBS Committee thanks Karen Eng and Pauline Yeung-Ha for offering their expertise in elder law to give back to the Chinese community. PBCS would also like to thank Annalee Patel, Bei Yang, Chao-Yung Chiu, Jian Cui, Julie Choe, Kelly Tang, and Xinyi Shen for their help and support in organizing the event. AABANY would also like to thank the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association and the New York Chinese Chamber of Commerce for co-sponsoring this event. To watch the presentation, click here. To learn more about the Pro Bono & Community Service Committee and its work, click here and click here.

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AABANY and Chinatown CLT Host Successful Rent Relief Application Virtual Phone Clinic

By Nick Loh

The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) just concluded a virtual phone clinic to assist Mandarin and Cantonese speaking tenants in applying for the NYS Homes and Community Renewal’s (HCR) COVID Rent Relief Extension Program. This HCR program allowed NYS renters to seek a one-time rental subsidy for the months of April – July 2020. The program originally opened for submission in late July 2020, extended to August 8, 2020, and then re-opened the application process on December 18, 2020 until February 1, 2021. We assisted 83 callers in total: 87.5% of those callers had limited English proficiency, with most callers speaking Cantonese (41.1%) and Mandarin (46.4%). We handled this call volume with a dedicated team of 24 volunteers.

In response to the program’s second extension, AABANY organized a coalition to get bilingual information and resources out to the community. Articles ran in ethnic newspapers during the weekend of January 17, 2021, announcing our COVID Rent Relief Project 2.0. The goal of the project remote clinic was (1) to provide information to callers on how to apply, (2) if necessary, to have the volunteer and caller contact HCR’s Call Center together to reach an interpreter, and/or (3) to have the volunteer act as the interpreter. No legal advice or legal representation was provided.

At a time of increasing isolation due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and in the face of language access barriers for Mandarin and Cantonese speaking NYC residents, the AABANY Virtual Phone Clinic provided a welcome opportunity to build relationships in the community and provide assistance. 

AABANY would like to thank William Lee, Vice Chair of the Student Outreach Committee; May Wong, Remote Clinic Coordinator, and the Organizers of the COVID Response Law Student Team (Nicholas Loh, Xinyi Shen, and Olympia Moy). We thank the 16 law school volunteers (representing 8 different law schools) and 5 community members who made calls, waited on hold to speak to HCR, and provided this valuable assistance to the community.

AABANY would like to thank our community leaders who partnered with us in making this clinic a possibility. They include:

  • AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Services Committee –  Co-chairs – Asako Aiba, Judy Lee, Karen Lin, and Karen Kithan Yau; Remote Clinic Coordinator – May Wong
  • AABANY’s Vice Chair of the Student Outreach Committee – William Lee
  • Roxy Chang, Community Organizer of Asian American For Equality
  • Lizzie Lee, Community Liaison from NYS Senator Brian Kavanagh’s office  
  •  Damaris Reyes, Executive Director, GOLES, Inc.
  • Jacky Wong, Chinatown Community Land Trust  
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Press Release: Asian American Bar Association of New York and Visiting Nurse Service of New York Announce Free ‘Know Your Rights’ Seminars in Mandarin and Cantonese

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 2, 2016

Contact: Yang Chen, Executive Director
(212) 332-2478

NEW YORK – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) and the Visiting Nurse Service of New York (“VNSNY”) are proud to announce their free public ‘Know Your Rights’ seminars on helpful legal information in Mandarin and Cantonese. These trainings are intended to educate Chinatown community members on housing repairs and tax filing. All trainings will be held at the VNSNY Chinatown Community Service Center located at 7 Mott Street. This three-part series is free of charge and open to any community member. To register, call VNSNY at (212) 619-3072 and specify which training you are interested in attending. 

The first ‘Know Your Rights’ training will be held in Cantonese. It will take place on Saturday, December 17, 2016 from 9:45am to 11am. Ms. Sophia Luu and Ms. Anita Wu will teach tenants how to get repairs for their apartments.
The second ‘Know Your Rights’ training will be held in Mandarin. It will take place on Saturday, January 21, 2017 from 9:45am to 11am. Ms. Rachel Sun will educate community members on what they need to know for their 2017 tax filing. 

The third ‘Know Your Rights’ training will be held in both Mandarin and Cantonese. It will take place on Saturday, February 18, 2017 from 9:45am to 11am. Mr. Christopher Zheng and Ms. Rong Lin will teach tenants how to get repairs for their apartments.

“Our AABANY volunteers are excited to provide community education at VNSNY to empower Chinatown residents with the confidence and knowledge necessary to assert their legal rights,” said Government Service & Public Interest Committee Co-Chair Anita Wu, who spearheads this series for AABANY.

“AABANY is delighted to be working with Visiting Nurse Service of New York to serve community members in Chinatown in this meaningful way,” says AABANY Executive Director Yang Chen. “Thanks to Anita Wu and our Government Service & Public Interest Committee for engaging our members and constituents in this valuable volunteer opportunity. We also thank Legal Services NYC for providing background training for our volunteers.” 

“We are grateful to the Asian American Bar Association of New York and the speakers for their commitment to give back to the Chinese communities,” said Teresa Lin, Director of Cultural Market Development Initiatives at Visiting Nurse Service of New York. “It’s our great pleasure to partner with AABANY to host a series of the workshops to provide valuable legal information at no cost to the public in our VNSNY Chinatown Community Center.” 

Information on these community trainings will be available on the AABANY website. If you have any questions, reach out to AABANY Government Service & Public Interest Committee Co-Chair Anita Wu at [email protected].
For more information, please contact Yang Chen, AABANY Executive Director, at (212) 332-2478, or direct any inquiries to [email protected].

The Asian American Bar Association of New York is a professional membership organization of attorneys concerned with issues affecting the Asian Pacific American community. Incorporated in 1989, AABANY seeks not only to encourage the professional growth of its members but also to advocate for the Asian Pacific American community as a whole. AABANY is the New York regional affiliate of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA).

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National Cantonese Language Engagement

與您交流
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) invites you to participate in a national Cantonese language engagement. Agency representatives will be available to share updates and answer your questions about becoming a U.S. citizen.

Date: Wednesday, August 19 2015
Time: 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EASTERN

Participation:
• Via teleconference at 1-800-369-1122; Passcode: 9104335
• Via live Web Stream at http://www.uscis.gov/Live/JiaoLiu 

(this link will be live on the day-of the engagement.)

Note:
Submit your questions in advance via Twitter to @USCIS or during the event via email to [email protected]

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Email us at [email protected] and write “Jiao Liu” in the subject line; or to learn more about USCIS resources, please visit us at http://www.uscis.gov/multilingual.

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